


Since when?

by NovemberWings



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: (but it's not overbearing!), Bisexual Female Character, Brotherly Love, Clueless Diego, Coming Out, Fluff, Gen, Ice Cream, Klaus isn't badly hurt, No Angst, Pansexual Character, Pansexual Klaus, Protectiveness, don't worry!, no hurt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-05
Updated: 2019-03-05
Packaged: 2019-11-12 11:55:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18010469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NovemberWings/pseuds/NovemberWings
Summary: Diego finally gives into Klaus and takes him out for ice cream, on the way Klaus is the victim of a random homophobic attack and it opens Diego's eyes to a world he didn't know existed right in front of him





	Since when?

Klaus had been bitching about wanting ice cream for hours. Non. Stop. Bitching. And Diego couldn’t take it any more. But secretly, he would never say it aloud, but he was looking forward to spending some time with Klaus. He definitely liked spending time with Klaus the most out of all of his siblings, despite the fact that sometimes it felt like he went out of his way to be annoying.

So that’s how they ended up walking down the street to a dessert shop. They were just absently chatting, or more accurately Klaus was talking nonsense at him as he walked alongside him trying his best to repress a smile.

“And then I was like ‘what do you mean New Zealand isn’t a real country!? Like, are you high?’ and then I realised… he was high.” He laughed and Diego found himself laughing a little as well. Before Diego could even allow his brain to catch up with what Klaus’ story he was onto his next weird little anecdote.

As they got closer to the shop Diego realised his shoelace had come undone so he just quickly said ‘hang on’ to Klaus as he bent down to tie his lace, but Klaus was apparently too wrapped up into his own anecdote to hear Diego and just continued walking and talking. Diego watched him go but just shook his head and decided that he would just jog up to Klaus instead of shouting at him to stop.

He just started standing up right to jog up to Klaus when a really muscled guy walked past Klaus in the other direction, roughly shoulder barging him with too much strength for it to be an accident. Klaus tumbled to the ground harshly and landed heavily on the floor. He looked up at the guy, his anecdote falling silent on his lips.  
“Watch where you’re going faggot. Honestly. You trying to grab my dick, pervert?” Diego was shocked at what he was seeing. Shamefully he froze. He wasn’t afraid of the dickhead standing over his brother but more shocked at the so public and blatant homophobia. And so shocked that it was happening to his brother. Apparently he wasn’t the only one who was frozen, he glanced down to Klaus lying on the pavement, propped up on his elbows staring up at the man.

His lined eyes wide with fear. Realisation flooded over Diego like a bucket of cold water. Klaus wasn’t frozen in shock like he was. He was frozen with terror. The next thing he knew the man standing over Klaus took a step towards him and that snapped Diego out of his shock. He ran up to them and placed himself in between them.  
“There a problem here?” His voice full of venom, overly aware of how he was standing literally over his bother. Klaus’ legs between his own.  
“No.” The man took a step, shock in his eyes that someone had come and defended him. “No problem. He’s just clumsy is all.” The guy said and continued walking, away from Diego.

Diego felt the anger rushing through his veins at this guy’s complete ambivalence and lack of care. He went to follow him but he was stilled after his first angry step by a hand closing around his ankle.  
“Diego. Don’t. Leave it, let him go.” Klaus said looking up at him from the floor.  
“Why!” He snapped, “that guy just abused you and you’re going to let him treat you like that? You didn’t even say anything in your own defence!” Klaus just stared up at him, before he responded in a resigned tone.  
“It’s not worth it.” He shrugged his shoulders. Diego almost wanted to let his mouth drop open at how blasé he was about this, but instead he offered Klaus his hand, which he accepted gratefully. As Klaus grabbed his hand he became overly aware of Klaus’ painted fingernails. Klaus had painted his nails since they were young, Dad had always shouted at him because of it, but at this point it was weird to see Klaus with no nail varnish on. But in this sudden moment of realisation it occurred to Diego that typically men don’t wear nail varnish. It didn’t even register to him as weird until now. He quickly shook it off though. That didn’t mean Klaus was gay. Just eccentric.

“Why didn’t you stand up for yourself?!” Diego couldn’t get past this. If someone knocked him over like that on purpose for no reason Diego would go mad. He didn’t understand why Klaus just didn’t care.  
“Look, man, if I got into a fight every time this shit happened I’d never be out of the hospital. So it’s just not worth it. Don’t let it rent a headspace.” He said and good naturedly clapped him on the back, with his usual cocky grin returned to his face. But as the words registered Diego realised how deeply disturbing they were.  
“Wait, what do you mean ‘every time’?” He frowned as they continued their walk to the ice cream shop.  
“I mean every time?” Klaus replied making him roll his eyes.  
“Does this happen a lot?” Diego clarified.  
“Oh yeah.” Klaus shrugged off as he pushed the door to the ice cream shop open, making a little bell jingle above their heads.

Diego, once again, was shocked into silence as Klaus casually walked up to the counter and started looking at the selection of ice cream they had on offer. Numbly he followed him up to the counter and the whole transaction went in a bit of a blur. Even though Klaus pulled a few tricks to get Diego to pay for him Diego would have done so anyway in the numb and disbelieving state he seemed to be trapped in.

He just kept playing the conversation over and over in his head. Klaus’ ambivalent tone filled his mind, along with his wide scared eyes and the man’s angry words. He was so preoccupated he didn’t even realise that Klaus had started chatting at him again, meaning that when he spoke he interrupted, what was apparently, the interesting bit of Klaus’ story.  
“How often does this happen?” He asked seriously making direct eye contact with him. His sudden question obviously threw Klaus for a second before realisation washed over his face.

“Have you even been listening to my story! It’s about this male stripper! It’s a good story, isn’t it?” He spoke to no one next to him, probably Ben. “I’m going to have to start again.” He sighed dejectedly, “anyway-“ He went to carry on but Diego interrupted him again.

“Klaus, how often does this happen?”

“Oh my god, why are you so hung up on this?” He exclaimed, pointing his ice cream spoon at him laughing in disbelief. “I don’t know, man, like once every two weeks or something? Anyway, my story-“

“No Klaus wait.” He said leaning on the table to get closer to him, “you’re seriously telling me that you get randomly abused in the street so often you don’t even care about it anymore.” He said poking the desk angrily to emphasise his point. How the hell had Klaus even gotten this deep into the mess to see that it wasn’t a problem.

“Yeah. But it’s not like it’s a big deal. No one’s tried to kill me yet so…” He dragged at the ‘so’ as he scooped another bit of ice-cream onto the small plastic spoon.

“But why? I don’t get that?” Diego said frowning and Klaus laughed in response, making him frown harder at his increased confusion. Klaus laughed until he saw the serious look on his face, which then brought his laughter to an abrupt stop.

“Wait? You’re not joking?” Diego shook his head. “Oh my god, Diego, look at me and then look at you!” Klaus exclaimed gesturing to himself. Diego ran his eyes over Klaus but he still couldn’t figure it out. 

 

“You still don’t get it?” Klaus asked more seriously this time. “Wow. Man. I actually want to know what you’re brain is like now. I get attacked in the street because I look and act gay.” He shrugged.

“No you don’t.” He replied genuinely confused. Klaus didn’t look gay. He just looked like and acted like Klaus.

“What do you mean?” His voice full of disbelief.

“You don’t look gay… you just look like… Klaus.” He was met with silence, which was a shocking thing for Klaus. Diego didn’t even know he was capable of being silent.

“Diego… that’s such a sweet sentiment. But take your, oh I don’t know, ‘sibling goggles’ off for a moment,” he put quote marks around the words, “and look at me like you would at a stranger.”

Diego didn’t exactly know what that meant but he tried his best and ran his eyes over Klaus once and then twice.  
“I don’t know. You just look like you… I don’t understand.” Klaus sighed at Diego’s confusion but not in an annoyed way.

“Okay. Let me break it down for you. My eyeliner. My nails. My hair cut. My shirts and trousers. For God’s sake Diego they’re leather trousers with rope holding them together. You can nearly always see my midriff as well. I’m meeting like every gay stereotype. I got that androgynous shit going on, but you know people don’t like different.”

Diego listened to his words and the words made sense and he couldn’t believe his ears. Now that it had been pointed out to him he could see it, but he didn’t understand how that was the first thing people saw about Klaus. And then he couldn’t believe that people would attack him just because of that. It made zero sense.  
“But that doesn’t make any sense. To attack you randomly for that.” He shook his head.

“I know it doesn’t but the world sucks. What you gonna do about it?” Klaus shrugged, putting another spoon of ice cream into his mouth and licking the excess of the back. 

Diego felt anger rushing through his veins. He knew that Allison suffered from racist threats, but it never once occurred to him that gay people could suffer the same inequality and random attacks like ethnic minorities could.   
“I mean… you’re not hurting anyone! And what business is it of theirs! I mean, if we imagine for a second that you were gay, or you know, if you liked boys and had a boyfriend and you were holding hands or whatever they still shouldn’t attack you!” He continued ranting, pissed to all hell that people would hurt his brother just off the way that he looks and dresses. Klaus patiently sat and listened to Diego’s rant until he finished.

He was met with silence after he finished, with Klaus presuming that he hadn’t finished yet. After a moment, when it became apparent that Diego had in fact finished, Klaus opened with;  
“Yeah, man, it’s fucked up. But just one question did you say; ‘imagine if I liked boys?’”

“Yeah. What’s wrong with that?” Diego’s confused frown returning. Klaus started to laugh uncontrollably for a few minutes as Diego’s face got increasingly red from embarrassment, not sure what he said wrong. “I don’t get what’s wrong with that?” He said, trying to defend himself. Klaus reached up and wiped at his eyes, smearing his eyeliner a little in the process.

“How are you this clueless!” He spoke through laughter, “like how do you miss so much?” He was still laughing and Diego felt a rush of embarrassed anger run through him.

“Don’t be a dick.” He said as he started gathering up his coat to leave. He wasn’t going to sit there and just be laughed at. 

“No no! Diego wait! I don’t mean to laugh. Sit down.” Klaus urged him to as he got his laughter under control. It took just a few more seconds and Klaus was sober from his laughter.

“I was only laughing because you’re cute in your naivety. I just don’t know how you’ve gone this long without knowing. For God’s sake I just told you a story about when I bought a male stripper! I do like boys, Diego.” He smiled and Diego was shocked once again.

“What? Since when?” He asked in all sincerity.

“Since when I was, like, I don’t know thirteen… fourteen?” Klaus continued to smile broadly at him. “There are seven of us, you seriously thought that all of us are straight?”

“Yeah…” He said, a little ashamed at himself, “I just didn’t think about it. How come you never told anyone you were gay?” Klaus paused for a moment drawing back, the smile falling a little.

“Well I mean for everyone else it didn’t really need to be said aloud? Everyone else just kinda assumed and I never corrected them unless they asked, which they all did at some point, except for five and Luther.” He paused for a moment, “but I’m not gay.” 

“But-“ Klaus raised a hand to silence him.

“I’m not gay. I’m pansexual. I like girls and boys and other genders too.” He shrugged, “I don’t know, I guess I like the person, not their body. Plus I’m up for most things anyway.” He continued with his almost finished ice cream. 

“Wait. What’s pansexual then? Is it like bisexual?”

“Yeah.” Klaus nodded, “it’s not all that different. Some people like to distinguish between them but it’s whatever term the person feels more comfortable using. I just like the term pansexual while Vanya prefers the term bisexual. It’s not that big of a deal. They both basically mean that I don’t mind what gender someone identifies as I just like them as a person. Also it means that I’m not limited to who I have sex with, which is also super fun!”

“Vanya is bi?” Equally as shocked as before.

“Yeah. But she’s not as open as it. I don’t feel like she’d be comfortable talking about it though to be honest. She only told me because she was confused when she was younger so we figured it out together.” Diego didn’t really know what to say to that, so as usual, Klaus filled the silence for him.

“I’m guessing that you’re okay with it now that you’ve found out for definite?” His brother smiled at him.

“Oh of course.” He reassured his brother, whose smile was a little more strained than normal, but he saw the strain leave at his words. “I’ll accept whatever you are. You’re my brother. But next time I’m not going to let another prick who shoves you get away with it. Deal?” Klaus sighed but nodded his head.

“Deal, I guess.” Diego grinned, happy he got his way, “but! Only if you let me tell you the story about the male stripper!”

“Fine.” Diego rolled his eyes good naturedly.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay. But the Umbrella Academy is such! a! good! show!  
> I mean all the characters are so compelling, and obviously Klaus is the best character! I love him so much!  
> And I thought that Robert Sheehan's confirmation that Klaus is pansexual needs to be celebrated!
> 
> Plus my writing brain got all excited during the scene when Klaus is talking to Diego about Dave and Digeo is like 'who was she?' and like every out gay person Klaus strongly stresses the 'he' pronoun. Like out boi Diego is so naive!! I love him. And Klaus obviously. So I thought that I definitely need to exploit Diego's lack of awareness to celebrate Klaus' pansexuality and this fic was born!
> 
> I had so much fun writing the dialogue between the two! And I definitely have another story in the back of my head for this fandom! It's just finding time to write it down!  
> Let me know if you thought they're in character or if you would have written something differently! Lemme hear your interpretation or your vision I love reading them! (Or just leave a simple comment they're appreciated too!!)  
> THANKS FOR READING!


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